Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Feb 19;113(4):524-538.e6.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.11.019. Epub 2024 Dec 23.

A brain-wide map of descending inputs onto spinal V1 interneurons

Phillip D Chapman  1 , Anand S Kulkarni  1 , Alexandra J Trevisan  1 , Katie Han  1 , Jennifer M Hinton  1 , Paulina Deltuvaite  1 , Lief E Fenno  2 , Charu Ramakrishnan  3 , Mary H Patton  1 , Lindsay A Schwarz  1 , Stanislav S Zakharenko  1 , Karl Deisseroth  4 , Jay B Bikoff  5
Affiliations

A brain-wide map of descending inputs onto spinal V1 interneurons

Phillip D Chapman et al. Neuron. .

Abstract

Motor output results from the coordinated activity of neural circuits distributed across multiple brain regions that convey information to the spinal cord via descending motor pathways. Yet the organizational logic through which supraspinal systems target discrete components of spinal motor circuits remains unclear. Here, using viral transsynaptic tracing along with serial two-photon tomography, we have generated a whole-brain map of monosynaptic inputs to spinal V1 interneurons, a major inhibitory population involved in motor control. We identified 26 distinct brain structures that directly innervate V1 interneurons, spanning medullary and pontine regions in the hindbrain as well as cortical, midbrain, cerebellar, and neuromodulatory systems. Moreover, we identified broad but biased input from supraspinal systems onto V1Foxp2 and V1Pou6f2 neuronal subsets. Collectively, these studies reveal elements of biased connectivity and convergence in descending inputs to molecularly distinct interneuron subsets and provide an anatomical foundation for understanding how supraspinal systems influence spinal motor circuits.

Keywords: connectivity; interneurons; monosynaptic rabies virus; motor system; neural circuits; spinal cord; supraspinal pathways; viral tracing; whole-brain map.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Apps R, and Garwicz M (2005). Anatomical and physiological foundations of cerebellar information processing. Nat Rev Neurosci 6, 297–311. 10.1038/nrn1646. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arber S, and Costa RM (2022). Networking brainstem and basal ganglia circuits for movement. Nat Rev Neurosci 23, 342–360. 10.1038/s41583-022-00581-w. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Grillner S (2003). The motor infrastructure: from ion channels to neuronal networks. Nat Rev Neurosci 4, 573–586. 10.1038/nrn1137. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Grillner S, and El Manira A (2020). Current Principles of Motor Control, with Special Reference to Vertebrate Locomotion. Physiol Rev 100, 271–320. 10.1152/physrev.00015.2019. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kuypers H (1981). Anatomy of the descending pathways. Handbook of physiology-the nervous system.

LinkOut - more resources